Fly2High
Head-Fier
I spent a bunch of time figuring out which stack I wanted for DAC and HP amp. Now the Topping A/D 30 Pro is coming out soon and the numbers provided suggest it should be very good.
What I find very ironic is that the Topping D30 Pro/A30 Pro stack is within $9 US of the SMSL SH/SU-9 stack ($759 vs $750). They are in the same league, pricewise and in most specs.
From what I see, their numbers are very close. Both have 6W @ 16 Ohms but things seem to differ as the ohms get high. At 32 Ohms, SMSL has 3W vs Topping lists 5.5W. SMSL has 226mW @ 300 Ohms while Topping has 813mW @ 300 Ohms according to ASR.
Both have good specs and some nice features. Both have remote.
SMSL is Sabre ES9038PRO (x1) chips while Topping went Cirrus Logic CS43198 (x4).
SMSL
Pro:
Uses newer XMOS chip XU-216
MQA support,
higher DSD support up to DSD512
Bluetooth 5
dimmable multicolor display
digital volume control for perfect balance
Con:
IMD ESS hump - nearly nonexistent in measurements and inaudible
less watts for high ohm HP
Topping
Pro:
slightly better specs (SNR, THD, etc.)
more power when driving higher Ohm HP.
Pass through on both XLR and RCA
3 gain modes -14dB, 0 dB and 14 dB
Con:
DSD support is limited to DSD256
uses oilder XMOS USB chip XU208
pass though cannot pass input XLR out RCA (and visa versa) so you will need to connect both if you have active speakers on RCA and DAC on XLR for better HP power
Lacks MQA
analog volume control so balance is not perfect.
Lacks Bluetooth
Not sure if display is dimmable and it is red/orange monochromatic
I do not know if either is a fully balanced or not. The Sabre chip can handle 8 channels but the Topping is using 4 chips so I am not sure how balanced is working. I think I heard for THX, they are not fully balanced in the SMSL. Feel free to correct me on this point.
I do not know which op-amps the Topping A30 Pro are using but the SMSL SH-9 uses OPA1612(x3)
Anyone have any idea which is better for the money?
Until they are released, I would also love to know which sound better.
Which has a more adequate power supply? I heard that the bass in the SMSL is somewhat lacking in the SMSL because there is not enough power or cap storage. I wonder if Topping went bigger on the power supply and reduced features and support so as to improve sound.
Are the extra functional support that the SMSL offer are better than less with a trade off of less power in the SMSL? Or is DSD 256 enough, who needs Bluetooth and MQA but having more watts more important?
Thoughts????
Thanks in advance.
Frank
What I find very ironic is that the Topping D30 Pro/A30 Pro stack is within $9 US of the SMSL SH/SU-9 stack ($759 vs $750). They are in the same league, pricewise and in most specs.
From what I see, their numbers are very close. Both have 6W @ 16 Ohms but things seem to differ as the ohms get high. At 32 Ohms, SMSL has 3W vs Topping lists 5.5W. SMSL has 226mW @ 300 Ohms while Topping has 813mW @ 300 Ohms according to ASR.
Both have good specs and some nice features. Both have remote.
SMSL is Sabre ES9038PRO (x1) chips while Topping went Cirrus Logic CS43198 (x4).
SMSL
Pro:
Uses newer XMOS chip XU-216
MQA support,
higher DSD support up to DSD512
Bluetooth 5
dimmable multicolor display
digital volume control for perfect balance
Con:
IMD ESS hump - nearly nonexistent in measurements and inaudible
less watts for high ohm HP
Topping
Pro:
slightly better specs (SNR, THD, etc.)
more power when driving higher Ohm HP.
Pass through on both XLR and RCA
3 gain modes -14dB, 0 dB and 14 dB
Con:
DSD support is limited to DSD256
uses oilder XMOS USB chip XU208
pass though cannot pass input XLR out RCA (and visa versa) so you will need to connect both if you have active speakers on RCA and DAC on XLR for better HP power
Lacks MQA
analog volume control so balance is not perfect.
Lacks Bluetooth
Not sure if display is dimmable and it is red/orange monochromatic
I do not know if either is a fully balanced or not. The Sabre chip can handle 8 channels but the Topping is using 4 chips so I am not sure how balanced is working. I think I heard for THX, they are not fully balanced in the SMSL. Feel free to correct me on this point.
I do not know which op-amps the Topping A30 Pro are using but the SMSL SH-9 uses OPA1612(x3)
Anyone have any idea which is better for the money?
Until they are released, I would also love to know which sound better.
Which has a more adequate power supply? I heard that the bass in the SMSL is somewhat lacking in the SMSL because there is not enough power or cap storage. I wonder if Topping went bigger on the power supply and reduced features and support so as to improve sound.
Are the extra functional support that the SMSL offer are better than less with a trade off of less power in the SMSL? Or is DSD 256 enough, who needs Bluetooth and MQA but having more watts more important?
Thoughts????
Thanks in advance.
Frank
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